Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope MCP Server

Control and query Rigol DHO824 oscilloscope for waveform capture and measurements

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope MCP server?

Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. Control and query Rigol DHO824 oscilloscope for waveform capture and measurements.

What you get

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for controlling and querying the Rigol DHO824 oscilloscope.

Setting it up

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.

What the assistant can call

Once Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • RIGOL_RESOURCERequired - VISA resource string for connecting to the oscilloscope (e.g., TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR)
  • RIGOL_TEMP_DIRRequired for Docker - Host-side path for returned file paths. The container always writes to /tmp/rigol internally and translates paths to this
  • VISA_TIMEOUT — Communication timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000)
  • RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED — Enable/disable oscilloscope beeper sounds (default: false)
  • RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT — Automatically capture screenshot after each MCP tool execution for visualization/debugging (default: false). Screenshots are saved with
  • convert_png_to_webp.sh — Convert PNG frame sequences to animated WebP (e.g., ./scripts/convert_png_to_webp.sh "~/screenshots/*.png" output.webp)
  • Example — TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR
  • Troubleshooting — The Troubleshooting tool exposed by this server

Configuration and credentials

You will need 5 environment variables: RIGOL_RESOURCE, VISA_TIMEOUT, RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED, RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT, RIGOL_TEMP_DIR. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the rigol dho824 oscilloscope mcp server does with a few real requests.

Choosing this one

This sits in the browser automation group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope's toolset — RIGOL_RESOURCE, RIGOL_TEMP_DIR, VISA_TIMEOUT and 5 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by aimoda; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
RIGOL_RESOURCE**Required** - VISA resource string for connecting to the oscilloscope (e.g., TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR)
RIGOL_TEMP_DIR**Required for Docker** - Host-side path for returned file paths. The container always writes to /tmp/rigol internally and translates paths to this value in responses. Must match the host path in your -v mount. Outside D
VISA_TIMEOUTCommunication timeout in milliseconds (default: 30000)
RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLEDEnable/disable oscilloscope beeper sounds (default: false)
RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOTAutomatically capture screenshot after each MCP tool execution for visualization/debugging (default: false). Screenshots are saved with human-readable timestamp format (e.g., auto_screenshot_20251030_143045_123.png) for
convert_png_to_webp.shConvert PNG frame sequences to animated WebP (e.g., ./scripts/convert_png_to_webp.sh "~/screenshots/*.png" output.webp)
ExampleTCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR
TroubleshootingThe Troubleshooting tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rigol-dho824": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-v",
        "/tmp/rigol-data:/tmp/rigol",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_RESOURCE",
        "-e",
        "VISA_TIMEOUT",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT",
        "-e",
        "RIGOL_TEMP_DIR",
        "ghcr.io/aimoda/rigol-dho824-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RIGOL_RESOURCE": "TCPIP0::192.168.1.100::inst0::INSTR",
        "VISA_TIMEOUT": "30000",
        "RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLED": "false",
        "RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOT": "false",
        "RIGOL_TEMP_DIR": "/tmp/rigol-data"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
RIGOL_RESOURCEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
VISA_TIMEOUTConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
RIGOL_BEEPER_ENABLEDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
RIGOL_AUTO_SCREENSHOTConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
RIGOL_TEMP_DIRFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope to RIGOL RESOURCE.
  • Use Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope to RIGOL TEMP DIR.
  • Use Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope to VISA TIMEOUT.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 8 tools (RIGOL_RESOURCE, RIGOL_TEMP_DIR, VISA_TIMEOUT, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Rigol DHO824 Oscilloscope directly.